Notre Dame’s folklore is pretty crowded. Between Touchdown Jesus, Rudy and winning one for the Gipper, there’s little space for another inspirational story.

Montana Mazurkiewicz fits right in, though.

Mazurkiewicz, a passionate Notre Dame fan by age 10, was inflicted with an inoperable brain tumor.

Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis visited Mazurkiewicz on Sept. 21, with the child weeks away from dying. Weis described the visit as compelling, saying he’ll remember it for the rest of his life, according to Notre Dame’s official athletic Web site.

Mazurkiewicz teased Weis about the prior week’s loss to Michigan State, which reminded Weis of his own critical son, Charlie Jr., who’s 12 years old. Mazurkiewicz told Weis about his adoration of Notre Dame football. After all, his name is Montana, and his brother’s name is Rockne. Joe Montana was a prolific quarterback for the Irish, and Knute Rockne is perhaps Notre Dame’s most famous coach.

In the visit, Weis asked Mazurkiewicz what the coach could do for him, reminiscent of George Gipp’s deathbed request in 1920 that Notre Dame later ‘win just one for the Gipper.’ Weis proposed that the first offensive play would be called in Mazurkiewicz’s honor. Mazurkiewicz requested a pass to the right side.

Washington opened the game with the football and drove to Notre Dame’s one-yard line before fumbling. The Irish took over position with their backs literally against their goal line, a field position almost always designated for a rushing play.

Weis, though, promised Mazurkiewicz a pass to the right. So Weis called the play.

Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn rolled to his right and found tight end Anthony Fasano, who leapt over a Huskies defender before being dragged out of bounds for a 14-yard gain.

Mazurkiewicz never saw it. He died on Friday.

‘It’s almost as if Montana was willing him to beat that defender and take it to the house,’ Weis said. ‘I called their house, I talked to his brother, Rockne. Rockne said, ‘The only thing I really wish on behalf of Montana is that you guys would be thinking of Montana and playing in his memory.’

‘I try not to use any individual as a motivational tool. I promised Rockne that after this game was over, if we won the game, I would get this ball signed and bring it over to their house.’

Notre Dame won, 36-17, and Weis brought the signed football to the Mazurkiewiczs’ home on Sunday.

Weis said he’s not big on motivational speeches, but he told the team about Mazurkiewicz. He said it was not to get them any more prepared than they were, or to bring attention to anything the head coach did. Rather, it was to exhibit the significance of the Irish.

‘To watch a kid that’s 10 years old only get a smile to his face because of his passion and love for Notre Dame football, that’s really a good moral to tell your own players to realize to let them understand who they’re representing when they put on that uniform,’ Weis said.

‘It’s not just the university they’re representing,’ he continued. ‘It’s all the people who support that university. Sometimes we forget who they are because you think you’re on a pedestal and you’re bigger than the rest. It really kind of brings you back down to Earth, realize how important it is to wear that jersey.’

Unranked Sooner or later

The last time Oklahoma was unranked, Napster was legal, ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire’ was entertaining and neither former Texas Gov. George Bush nor former U.S. Vice President Al Gore had heard of ‘hanging chads.’

Oh, the good ole’ days.

Oklahoma dropped from the Associated Press Top 25 poll last week for the first time since 1999. In between, the Sooners won a national title and played in two championship games.

Hit hard by graduation, the Sooners only returned 10 starters from 2004’s 12-1 team that lost to Southern California in the Orange Bowl.

‘We understood what we lost, but we’re not sitting here and making excuses,’ head coach Bob Stoops said. ‘In the end, there are a lot of guys that are gone. But I can’t sit there and say that gives my team an excuse not to do well.

‘You do look to the future and realize what you’re losing and you do your best to gain that experience and develop guys and have them ready for the coming years. It’s pretty obvious that some of the inexperience has plagued us.’

The Sooners were upset in the season-opener against Texas Christian, narrowly slipped by Tulsa the following week before getting crushed by UCLA, 41-24, on Sept. 17. Coming off a bye week, OU opens Big 12 play on Saturday against Kansas State.

Stoops didn’t give his players time off during the bye week, different from the past. He feels the extra work has the Sooners prepared for the Wildcats. But Stoops insists this game isn’t a fresh slate.

‘I’m not going to sit here and say we have a whole new season now; that’s not our style,’ Stoops said. ‘We’re 1-2. We have to improve and we have to earn our way here in the Big 12 every week. It’s a great opportunity, though, because if we keep improving, we’ll have a chance.’

Performer of the Week

Laurence Maroney, RB, Minnesota

It was Minnesota’s version of ‘three yards and a cloud of dust’ in Saturday’s 42-35, double-overtime win over then-No. 11 Purdue. Maroney carried the football 46 times for the Golden Gophers for 217 yards. He was also the team’s leading receiver, tallying five catches for 59 yards. But more important was the win, solidifying Minnesota’s pursuit of the Big Ten crown. With Penn State, Michigan, Wisconsin and Ohio State slated for its next four games, Minnesota will need performances like Saturday’s from Maroney.

Game to Watch

No. 1 USC at No. 14 Arizona State, 3:30 p.m., ABC

If there were ever a chance for the almighty Trojans to be dethroned from the top of the national rankings, this could be the weekend. The Sun Devils are strong, and Sun Devil Stadium is a tough place to play when it’s crowded. But the unstoppable USC machine rescued itself from a near-upset last weekend, when it rebounded from a 13-point, first-half deficit to beat Oregon 45-13. But if anything, it proved the Trojans vulnerable.

Around the Nation

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Tulane football was offered sanctuary at Southern Methodist University. The Green Wave responded by beating SMU on Saturday, 24-10, for its first win of the season. Perhaps the win can be owed to advance scouting. Tulane was in the stands for SMU’s season-opening loss to Baylor. … Tennessee head coach Phillip Fulmer should have entered the 2004 Presidential election; the coach is making a habit of flip-flopping quarterbacks. After designating Erik Ainge the official starter, a three-touchdown deficit to Louisiana State on Monday night changed Fulmer’s mind. He inserted LSU-transfer Rick Clausen, who rallied the Vols to a 30-27, overtime win. … Oklahoma isn’t the only powerhouse left out of the Top 25. Michigan is unranked for the first time since 1998 after a 23-20 loss to Wisconsin on Saturday. The Wolverines play in-state rival No. 11 Michigan State on Saturday. … No. 19 Texas Tech scored 63 points in Saturday’s win over Indiana State, 17 points less than its 80-point performance against Sam Houston State on Sept. 17. The Red Raiders are averaging more than 66 points per game.

Published on September 28, 2005 at 12:00 pm